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DEAR AMY: I have a friend who is 17 years old. She is absolutely beautiful from head to toe. Everyone who knows her (and even people who don't know her) agree that she is a beautiful person and should change nothing about her appearance.

Any time anyone tells her that she is beautiful, she almost always responds with a terse, "No." Any similar compliments yield similar responses.

I feel as though I may be the only friend who is concerned about this. When I confronted her about the problem she said, "I know I'm beautiful. I just can't see it."

I know she has flirted with anorexia in the past; recently she has become more adamant about her lack of beauty, and I am becoming more worried. I understand teenage girls have some self-esteem issues, but is it normal to be this self-degrading at age 17? What should I do, if anything? -- Concerned Friend

DEAR CONCERNED: Self-effacement is one thing; self-degradation is something else.

However, you must imagine the awkwardness of being on the receiving end of comments that are essentially subjective and superficial. It's challenging to respond well, and it takes years (and maturity) to learn that a simple, "Thank you, that's nice of you" can acknowledge the comment politely while starting to shift the focus away from one's looks.

Teen girls do seem to have self-esteem challenges, partly due to the world's focus on female beauty. Take a girl at a supremely self-conscious age, add popular culture's obsession with beauty, and it can seriously mess with a person's head. Beauty seems to be everything, unless you possess it -- then it's just more evidence that nobody notices your character.

Your friend may be depressed. She could have a distorted view of herself and is literally unable to see what others see.

As her friend, you should celebrate her character assets and qualities. She should know in her heart that her true friends like her just as she is.

Otherwise you should take your concerns to an adult who can help to guide her through this challenge; if she has flirted with eating disorders, her problem is potentially quite serious.

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Do you believe beautiful people when they say they are not attractive?